Consumer Watchdog: Oversight Board Proves Facebook Not a Monopoly

For Immediate Release

Contact: Patrick Hedger (425-283-6512)

Washington, D.C. – The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) reacted to the decision of the Facebook Oversight Board regarding the company’s ban on former President Trump. The Oversight Board upheld the ban pending a six-month review period for Facebook to further justify its decision.

Vice President of Policy Patrick Hedger offered the following analysis:

“The key takeaway here for policymakers going forward is that Facebook, as a private company, is experimenting with ways to be responsive to consumers that is different than other competing platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok. This is something we should encourage, regardless of whether or not you agree with the Oversight Board’s decision about former President Trump. While Congress holds many long and useless hearings, Facebook is actually responding to the needs of its customers.

“What this experimentation demonstrates is that Facebook is the furthest thing from the ‘monopoly’ some claim it to be. A monopoly wouldn’t go out of its way and expend the resources on something like the Oversight Board if it wasn’t concerned that its customers and users could easily take their business and content elsewhere.”

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Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.